Media Endorse Phony Diversity

by Cliff Kincaidon July 1, 2004

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Promoting “diversity” has been a disaster for journalism. It helped produce the Jayson Blair scandal at the New York Times, under the cover of affirmative action, and has multiplied the number of liberal journalists in the major media, increasing the gulf between the more conservative public and the press. But Dan Rather’s scheduled participation in the convention of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists (NLGJA) convention shows that “diversity” is being taken to another ridiculous extreme. Now, in order to be “diverse,” a news organization is supposed to have the right mix of gay, lesbian and even transgendered employees.

“Diversity” in this context does not mean intellectual, philosophical or ideological diversity. It refers only to a person’s sexual make-up and habits.

Rather, the anchorman of the CBS Evening News, was only one of several “media stars” scheduled to participate. Another was former conservative David Brock, who now spends his time sniffing out and “exposing” conservative viewpoints in the media.

The Ford Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation are big players in the movement for this phony “diversity.” Last year they announced that a “Challenge Fund for Journalism” would help certain groups “broaden their base of financial support” and raise more money for their special interest agendas. One beneficiary was the NLGJA, which received $75,000.

The NLGJA convention was suppose to feature Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, scheduled to discuss “the latest developments and future activity of marriage for same-sex couples, which has dominated headlines for months.” Wolfson was going to be on a panel moderated by Pete Williams of NBC News.

An examination of the convention agenda revealed no speakers in opposition to gay marriage. Which means that the gay “journalists” are gay first and journalists second, if at all. Journalists who are not homosexual have to realize that support for the homosexual agenda is now expected of them. They realize this because all of the major news organizations either recruit at or sponsor the gay journalists’ conference. This includes Fox News.

It is significant that Wolfson’s Freedom to Marry group has a link on its website to NLGJA as a source of “accurate reporting about marriage for gays and lesbians.”

All of this reconfirms the fact conservatives in the House and Senate scheduling votes on proposals to protect traditional marriage between a man and a woman face extremely hostile coverage from the press.

Wolfson took time out from the NLGJA convention to participate in the June 27 “gay pride” parade held in New York City. AP reported that, “There were marching bands, politicians including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and, as always, plenty of men wearing G-strings and towering heels.” Wolfson told AP, “Let us celebrate today and then go to work.”

Wolfson & Company have been hard at work. His group offers a “Freedom to Marry Resource Kit” that provides instructions on how to “engage your local media.” Activists are advised on how to write letters-to-the-editor and op-eds and get them published.

The resource kit was put together with the assistance of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which is probably best known for forcing the demise of television programs featuring Dr. Laura and Michael Savage because of their perceived anti-gay views and remarks.

GLAAD is also the group that pressured major newspapers to run announcements of homosexual unions even before they were recognized as such by any governmental entity in the country. It claims that 245 papers now run such announcements. The campaign began with a “successful” meeting at the New York Times in 2002, according to GLAAD’s annual report. The report describes how GLAAD “reached out to print and television news outlets” on the issue.

As the Savage and Dr. Laura cases show, GLAAD sometimes “reaches out” with an iron fist. The report describes how GLAAD generated 20,000 emails to CNN’s Larry King Live show simply because the host interviewed Christian conservative Dr. James Dobson. By merely interviewing Dobson, GLAAD said that King had decided to “embrace” Dobson’s “anti-gay agenda.”

Such a campaign shows why the push for “diversity” in the media is such a fraud. The homosexual militants in GLAAD or NLGJA who are promoting “diversity” are not interested in providing the people truly diverse sources of information. Rather, they are waging a pressure campaign for conformity to the liberal line about homosexuality and related issues. It’s shocking that a media figure such as Dan Rather would even associate with activists who spend so much time trying to manipulate the news and censor their critics.